Transitioning to a trade career can feel intimidating and requires a major mental shift, especially if you are used to sitting at a desk all day and answering endless emails. Feeling stuck in a job that isn’t fulfilling is a huge disservice to your potential. But there is hope, and the trades need skilled workers now more than ever. The path to entry for these careers is far more accessible than most people can imagine.
So, how do you make a smooth transition into a trade career without feeling completely overwhelmed by the process?
Identify Your Strengths and Specific Interests
The term skilled trades covers a lot of ground. All the following jobs are considered part of the skilled trades: electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) technicians. Each of these jobs has its own unique flavor, and each requires a distinct set of physical and personality traits.
Do you like solving complex logic puzzles? Then electrical work might be for you. Are you rather active, and do you like solving problems while operating heavy machinery? Then perhaps welding or other areas of the general construction trade might be right for you. Take some time to research different trade areas in order to find out more about the daily demands of work as well as the environment in which you would be working.
Finding the right programs and entry points into different trades for work can be difficult, especially when there are so many to choose from. With the help of specialized recruitment partners such as those found through Superior Skilled Trades, candidates can get a deeper look at where the current market is and where there are opportunities for placement in their desired trade.
Research Training and Apprenticeship Options
While the route into the trades does involve some form of learning, this is typically hands-on and often paid by the employer, as opposed to the high levels of student debt typically associated with trade-off college courses and degrees.
Apprenticeships are really the backbone of trade education.
As an apprentice, you can earn money while learning your trade, and the best part is that you learn it from journeymen with lots of experience. When they teach you, you can apply your new skills immediately, getting lots of hands-on experience.
By attending trade schools and community colleges, students can gain the core technical skills needed to enter a specific trade by the time they leave school, in as little as several months. These programs are listed on the local union halls, trade associations, and vocational schools‘ websites, allowing for comparison between them.
Invest in Basic Tools and Work Gear
You can’t go to a job site empty-handed. But you don’t have to go out and buy a ton of tools before you get started in the trades. Many of the trade jobs require specialized tools that the employer will provide for you.
While your employer may provide certain pieces of specialized equipment, you will typically start out with a number of basic hand tools. These are typically specialized for certain trade types, and it is best to invest in high-quality versions right off the bat. For example, a bad pair of wrenches can lead to countless amounts of frustration. While it may seem cost-prohibitive to purchase a good set of basic hand tools right off the bat, it is far better than dealing with subpar tools later on.
Building out your trade gear is important. Typically, there is a list of required tools that are needed for the different programs. Some employers will also outline what is expected. Look at purchasing higher-quality tools to begin with, because they will last longer. As you become more experienced in your trade and your income increases, you can start to add the specialized tools needed for your trade to your growing collection of tools.
Build Your Physical Stamina
A trade worker’s work is physically demanding and requires stamina to work long hours in physically demanding environments. The first week of work will have you feeling muscles that you did not even know that you had. The demand on the body needs to be prepared for before you start your new career.
Prepare your body early.
These are simple exercises that will help prepare your body before you arrive on site for your first day of work. These types of exercises will improve your core strength, improve your flexibility, and help to improve your cardiovascular endurance. Doing squats, planks, and walking with added weight will help build the physical stamina required for work in trades.
And then, there is recovery. Be sure to hydrate, eat right to fuel your body for the demands of physical work, and get enough rest and sleep to ensure that you don’t burn out prematurely and get injured in the process of trying to get work done.
Embrace the Learning Curve and Show Up Ready
It takes a lot of humility to start over in a new career. This means that you are starting at the bottom, and there are many days when you feel like you don’t even know what you are doing.
Are you ready to be the beginner again?
Simply show up for work on time and be prepared to learn. A positive attitude will go a long way and get you recognized by fellow tradespeople. So ask questions when in doubt, take notes to review later, and you will gain the respect of your fellow tradespeople. And that is what matters most.
It takes time and effort to be able to complete your transition to a new career within a reasonable time frame. Within a few months, you will feel more at home in your new workplace and be able to complete tasks with confidence.